


Midwinter Gifts

by Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr



Series: The Saga of Lacroa [6]
Category: SD Gundam Force
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 17:16:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7901098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr/pseuds/Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr





	1. Chapter 1

Oddly, considering her name, winter was not her favorite season. It was when she felt strongest, boosted by the chill temperatures and the ice already in the air, but she was well aware that the majority of her friends were miserable and the time in which she didn't care how others felt had passed over a decade ago. Winter, Royal Knight of the Silent Frost, had a plan, however. A plan which involved a bit of subtlety, a little sneakery, and, hopefully, laughter in the end.  


"The thing being," she explained quietly to Kesshō, "I am not well practiced at such things."  


"You've asked Claw?" Kesshō asked conspiratorially. Winter shook her helm, a sheepish look in her ice-blue eyes.  


"She is the best at such things," Winter admitted. "However, she is otherwise involved with something she and Nataku are doing. It is quite the secret."  


"So offer to help," Chrystal suggested, grinning. "She'd never expect it."  


The Royal Knight drew back slightly, obviously startled. "I ... that is an excellent idea. Thank you, my friend."  


"Welcome!" Kesshō chirped cheerfully, bounding up to give her friend a glomping hug. "Hey, I wanna be invited to the thing when you're done."  


"You will be," Winter promised, smiling.  
  
**  
  


One thing Winter was good at, due purely to a long-time association with Zero, the Winged Knight who was a self-proclaimed expert at such things, was making an entrance. Hers were simple and understated: she stepped into Nataku and Claw's quarters, a slight breeze from the closing door ruffling her crimson cape and the light landing ever so perfectly on her spotless silver armor. The Smoke Knight and the Bronze Knight both stopped, startled by the unannounced and unexpected intruder into their domain.  


"Hello," Winter said, walking toward them with a slight smile in her eyes. "I have come to join whatever mischief you have planned for this solstice."  


"What makes you think we be plannin' mischief?" Claw wanted to know, tipping her bronze helm forward slightly. Nataku's black hand landed on his lover's bare shoulder, despite all involved knowing that attempting to quell the cattish Knight was close to impossible.  


"You have sequestered yourself within your quarters for any such time you are not on duty," Winter pointed out. "Both of you. Nataku has foregone his typical meditations with the Spirit Tree. If you are not, I require your assistance in setting up some mischief of my own."  


"Oh," Claw purred, slipping out from under Nataku's hand and prowling over to circle Winter, trailing a finger from the tip of one pauldron to the other. "This I must hear."  


"I'm curious myself," Nataku agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're not one for pranks, Winter."  


"No," she admitted, brushing Claw's hands away with a sharp look. "Keep your hands to yourself, please. We are, the three of us, aware of the fact that the palace needs cheering. I believe a gathering is the best way to achieve this. And I believe I have an idea of how to gather the supplies we need with no one any the wiser..."  
  
**  
  


A horse called outside the home of Bakunetsumaru, Blazing Samurai of Ark. The unexpected sound jerked the Musha gundam from a sound sleep, sending him leaping to his feet, hands searching for swords he no longer wore at all times. Kesshō, having been up for about an hour already, poked her head into the bedroom and gave her lord and husband a curious look, blue eyes puzzled. She had a spoon in her mouth so simply made a questioning noise in his direction.  


"I ..." he said, expression groggy and confused. "I heard a horse."  


"En'engo?" Kesshō asked around the spoon. The samurai shook his head, reaching for his horned helmet.  


"No," he said, sighing. He was about to dismiss it as a dream when something landed with a profound _thunk_ on their front porch, startling the spoon from Kessho's mouth and sending Baku into a dead sprint for the front of the house.  


They found an oddly proportioned package emblazoned with the Royal Crest of Lacroa. "Is it a trap?" Baku wanted to know, warily poking it with the sheath of one of his katana. The little ryuu beside him gave the hero a flat look.  


"It's a present," she said, hefting it into her claws and taking it inside. Her recent conversation with Winter had immediately come to mind and she did her best to hide the glee the package had prompted. "Wonder why they couldn't stick around to watch us open it?"  


"Some friends they are," Baku grumbled, "how rude can a gundam be? And he calls _me_ crass, the villain."  


The statement prompted a burst of giggles from the dragon, who ripped the paper off the bundle to hide the laughter. It worked; Bakunetsumaru was distracted by the strange items inside before he could take her to task for laughing at him. "String," he said, frowning, "white, red and gold candles with loops, small hooks and ... origami paper? What _is_ all this?"  


"Hey, there's a note!" Kesshō chirped, retrieving it from the floor. "Uh," she said, confusion clear in her expression, "there's nothing on it but a date and a time."  


"That's tomorrow," Bakunetsumaru pointed out. "Tomorrow night. Weird."  


"Maybe we're supposed to head to the Palace?" Kesshō guessed, turning the paper over, upside down and backward in an attempt to see if there was any more writing on it. The only thing she found was a small blue rose, stamped in one corner. "I think that's Winter's mark," she mumbled, frowning.  


"What mischief is that she-Knight up to?" Bakunetsumaru asked, receiving a blank look from his dragon.  


"Mmumm," she said, shrugging along with the rise and fall of the sound.  
  
**  
  


"Shute!" Keiko called out the back door, frowning when she heard no response. "I swear, that boy," she muttered, rising from the papers she had been grading, making sure to mark her place before going in search for her son. All she found was a note on the whiteboard they used for leaving messages for each other:  


_Gone to SDG, Captain got a message. I'll eat there, I'll be home for holidays, love, Shute_  


"Goodness," Keiko huffed, setting her hands on her hips. "The holidays are four days away!"  


"I wanna go," Natalie protested, her mother's fussing having attracted her attention. "I've gotta test to turn in to the SDG!"  


"You have homework to do," Keiko scolded, sending her daughter back to her room. Frustrated, the girl threw herself down on the bed, grunting in surprise when she landed on something hard.  


Rubbing her stomach, Natalie picked up the small bundle, her eyes lighting up when she saw the Royal Crest of Lacroa with a small blue rose above it on the wrapping. Tip-toeing over to the door to her room, she made sure the no one was outside before flicking on the 'do not disturb' light and locking it soundly. Having been friends with Winter, the Royal Knight of Silent Frost for so long, Natalie had her own ways of getting to Lacroa, when she needed to ...


	2. Chapter 2

"Winter?" Zero called, floating into their rooms with a perplexed expression showing in his electric blue eyes. The only answer he received was one he hadn't heard in ... well, a very long time.  


"Feennn!"  


The Winged Knight was startled enough that he let himself be bowled over by the Feather Dragon's smallest form, looking down at where the Spirit Beast was pressed to his chest. "Fenn?" He asked, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The gentle warmth of his friend increased slightly and cheerful blue eyes peered up at him from within the pale blue fluff surrounding them. "It is you," he said, his voice soft with wonder. "But-- nothing's wrong, is it? I haven't felt-- no. You wouldn't be so cheerful if something were the matter." The Royal Knight paused, slipping a gentle hand under his friend and lifting the small summon beast up so they were eye-level. "Would you?"  


_I wouldn't doubt it,_ a dry voice echoed in his mind. Quickly Zero lowered Fenn so he could see the source of the voice: a glowing golden gryphon the size of a house cat, sitting primly in the doorway. _He can be such a simple thing sometimes._  


"Fenn is one of the highest ranking spirits in all of Lacroa," Zero said archly, climbing to his feet. "In all of Solardiarama. He is not _simple_."  


There was an unmistakable smirk on the Gryphon's beaked face. _Of course, Lord Zero. Now, where is Winter? She summoned us and I would like to know why._  


"I was looking for her myself," Zero admitted, finally remembering the package which he had been holding when Fenn had knocked him down. "I hope it's not damaged," he muttered, looking around for it.  


_This?_ Qurn asked, standing and trotting over to bat the small package out from under a table. Zero couldn't help chuckling at the image the powerful Spirit Beast presented in the action; he had made himself look even more like a house cat.  


"Yes, that," Zero agreed, stooping to retrieve it. Fenn floated upward from Zero's hand and settled himself on the Winged Knight's shoulder, murring happily. Smiling, Zero paused to raise a hand and stroke his friend's fur. "Yours is a happy nature, little one," he said, unconsciously repeating something he had said when Fenn had first hatched into his care.  


_That we both can agree with,_ Qurn commented. _What is within the package?_  


"Assorted things," Zero said, laying them out onto a table. Qurn hopped up without having to spread his golden wings, using a front talon to poke at the gathering of round ornaments, string of unlit lights and the bag of unpopped popcorn.  


_Odd,_ he said, obviously puzzled. _Come, Winged Knight. We have a companion to find. Bring that, it might be important._  
  
**  
  


The first hint that the Palace had company was Zero being knocked aside by Crystal's glomp. Thankfully, the Winged Knight wasn't nearly as trigger-happy as Bakunetsumaru, so after identifying his 'attacker', he simply allowed the hug to happen, patting her on the head with a care to avoid her horns. "Hello, Kesshō," he said tolerantly. "What brings you here?"  


"How can you ask that?" Bakunetsumaru demanded, not looking perturbed in the least by his companion's enthusiastic greeting of the Royal Knight. "You're the one who sent the package!"  


"Package?" Zero asked, untangling himself from Kesshō delicately. To the spirit's obvious dismay, Qurn was the next target of her enthusiasm.  


"We got a package with the Royal Crest on it," Kesshō explained, her arms tight around a mightily squirming Gryphon. The one thing the small Spirit Beast didn't do, Zero noticed, was use his claws in any of his attempts to get free. "Show him, Bakunetsumaru."  


"Odd," Zero said again when he had inspected the contents. "I received one as well," he said, showing them.  


"Hey, guys!"  


The call prompted three heads to simultaneously lift and look over, Kesshō unceremoniously dropping Qurn to the floor when she saw who it was. The Musha-Dragon gave a squeal and bolted over to grab Natalie in another of her happy hugs, the girl returning the enthusiasm delightedly. "Natalie!"  


"I didn't know you were gonna be here, Kesshō!" The girl cried, bouncing around in a circle with her friend. "This is fully awesome!"  


"Natalie," Shute sighed from behind them, shaking his head slightly. He waved when he spotted the other members of the Gundam Force, Captain smiling from where he was walking alongside the young man. "Hey, guys. What's up?"  


"A mystery," Bakunetsumaru said, presenting the package he had been given. Shute and Natalie also produced theirs, only adding to the confusion, since Shute's contained cranberries, fishing line, a large needle and some gold and silver gilded pine cones.  


"So," Shute said, once the hello's were finished, "has anyone seen Winter?"  


A negative head-shake went around the circle, contagious as a yawn. Natalie was the only one who noticed that Qurn didn't shake his head, but merely gave the Gryphon a curious look instead of bringing attention to the fact. She earned a wink from one ruby eye in return and the Spirit-Beast pantomiming throwing his head back in a howl. "Hey," she said to the others, quickly understanding what he meant, "let's go ask Fang!"  
  
**  
  


They found the Knight of the Hunt sound asleep on his balcony, sprawled in a comfortable chair with his feet up on the railing. Zero nudged him awake, prompting the wolf-gundam to open one brown eye. "Aye?" He yawned, not looking surprised in the least to have so many mechs and humans suddenly gathered around him.   


"Have you seen Winter?" Kesshō wanted to know, having retrieved Qurn during the short trip. The small Spirit Beast was now perched on her shoulders, however, looking something like a furry shawl.   


The large gundam gave a mighty stretch, a soft groan rising from his chest. "Can't say I have," he mumbled, his eye shutting again. "Leave a' old wolf alone on his day off, aye?"  


"Come now," Zero said briskly, propping his fists on his hips. Kesshō clapped her talons over her mouth to keep from giggling at the silly image the Winged Knight presented. Bakunetsumaru turned his laugh into a cough. "Enough of that. You aren't any older than I am, Fang, nor are your tasks more arduous. Please assist us in finding her."  


A low growl echoed from the wolf-gundam's chest, but it turned into a rolling laugh before the Winged Knight could take offense. "Oh, aye," he rumbled, finally opening both eyes and levering himself to his feet. Being a full head taller than his fellow Royal Knight, he lifted a hand to pat the side of Zero's helmet affectionately. "Best not get'cher circuits in a twist, lad. I'll be findin' our Lady Knight, not t'worry. An' you'll not be takin' me t'task for the casual speak, neither, ol' Fang ain't be on duty an' I'll be speakin' as I please."  


There was another rash of coughing fits at Zero's indignant huff.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fang?"  


The delicate voice was one they all knew well. The whole party turned and bowed to Princess Relejimana Miya du Lacroa, who offered them a nod to show they could rise. "Aye, Princess?" Fang asked, his gray-furred ears flicking in the young woman's direction.  


"Whatever are you all doing?" She wanted to know, genuine curiosity in her tone and expression.  


"We be lookin' for the Lady Knight," Fang said, a smile in his warm brown eyes. "She be close, Princess, if you'll be wantin' t'get'cher Lord Artos an' join us."  


"I believe I shall," the Princess agreed. "Will you wait here?"  


"Of course," Fang chuckled, placing a hand casually over Zero's mask to keep the other Royal Knight from speaking.  


"Fang!" Zero protested in an aggravated tone, once the Princess had left the room. The wolf-gundam rested his hands behind his helm, elbows akimbo.  


"Aye?"  


"What was the meaning of that?"  


The Knight of the Hunt offered the Knight Gundam a lazy smile. "Insubordination, right'n proper, that was."  


"It wasn't very nice," Natalie piped up, crossing her arms over her chest. Fenn gave a firm nod of agreement. Fang raised his hands in a placating gesture.  


"All right," he said, "calm yourselves."  


The wolf-gundam was spared from having to explain further when Rele and Artos reappeared, Artos with an odd expression on his face. It was Natalie, again, who noticed that he and Fang exchanged the smallest of nods after locking gazes. It happened again when Artos and Qurn looked at each other, prompting a questioning look from the girl. Qurn, in a completely casual move, stood and stretched across Crystal's shoulders, then stepped over to Natalie, settling there instead.  


"Hey!" Kesshō said, frowning. Qurn simply turned his head back to her and gave a slow blink, his version of a cat's patented smile.  


"It's okay," Natalie whispered to her friend, taking one of Crystal's talons to hold as they all followed Fang. "I think there's some kind of party conspiracy going on. Fang, Artos and Qurn all seem to be in on _some_ thing, at least."  


The ryuu gave the girl a startled blink. "Y'think?" She asked quietly, rising to walk on her tip-toes for a few steps, looking at where Fang and Artos were walking next to each other. "Huh."  


_You're an observant girl,_ Qurn said approvingly. Because none of the others reacted, Natalie and Kesshō knew no one else had heard the Gryphon.  


The wolf-gundam led them to one of the inner gardens, all of them stepping out just as a gentle snow began to fall. Qurn hopped down from Natalie's shoulders almost instantly, disappearing into the snow-drifts. "Odd that it's snowing in here," Rele commented. "This is an indoor garden and it's not cold enough for snow."  


Realization dawned on Zero's face and he shook his head, a smile showing in his eyes. "We have those among us who can make such a thing happen," he reminded his Princess, hurrying forward to follow Qurn.  


"It's beautiful," Kesshō murmured, twining her fingers in with Bakunetsumaru's, who, though he blushed, didn't pull away. It was beautiful, with the snow gently frosting the leaves of the bushes and trees. When they arrived in the center of the garden, they all knew at the same time what the strange odds and ends in the packages they had all gotten were for: there was a large spruce in the middle, bare of anything but snow and small glittering icicles, all of them in perfect spirals.  


"I thought," Winter said, stepping out from behind the tree with a faint blush on her mask, "we should all meet for the solstice."  


Laughing, Kesshō burst forward to visit a strong hug on her friend, hopping around the tree when she was done. "It's wonderful!" The little Musha-Dragon chirped, ending up next to Bakunetsumaru.  


"It was great," Natalie agreed, grinning wide. "Great thinking, Winter!"  


"Wasn't all her idea," Claw drawled, appearing out of the swirling snow. Nataku was standing behind her, one of his hands on her shoulder. "But aye, our Lady Knight had a good one."  


The group spent the rest of the day decorating the tree, using all of the items Winter had supplied: the ornaments, the strings of lights, the strings of popcorn and cranberries. The latter were used more for popcorn-and-cranberry fights, which turned into snowball fights, but enough got onto the tree to make it count. When dusk fell, Bakunetsumaru was glad to provide the spark for a roaring bonfire, Shute providing marshmallows, chocolate and gramcrackers for roasting and Artos bringing forward steaming mugs of cocoa. No one blinked at the chairs and benches which some how managed not to become covered in snow-- they were in Lacroa, after all. All said, everyone ended up in a pile of cuddled forms, enjoying soft conversation with gentle sprinkles of laughter.  


"Hey," Kesshō murmured to Winter, whom the small Musha-Dragon had somehow ended up curled next to. Bakunetsumaru was on Crystal's other side, with Zero on Winter's. The Knight Gundam glanced over at her friend, a smile in the depths of her ice-blue eyes.   


"Hm?" She asked, oophing slightly when Fang decided to join them by settling himself at Winter's feet. He sprawled like the great wolf he was, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the pleasure of having friends and family at his back.   


"I'm glad you did this," Kesshō continued, a grin curling her mouth, both at Fang and at Baku, who grumbled and worked his way further under the blanket he was sharing with his dragon.   


"As am I," Winter agreed, scooching down until she had her head on Zeros chest and one hand resting on Fang's helm. This put Zero in closer proximity to Kesshō, who only giggled when Baku grumbled again, wrapping both of his arms around her.   


"Mine," the samurai felt obliged to say to the Royal Knight beside her, earning a lofty look from the Winged Knight. Both of them ignored the faint blush on Baku's mask.  


"Of course," Zero said, settling his own arm around Winter's shoulders. "I would never think otherwise."


End file.
